The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating components of oil and fuel filters and more particularly to a method and apparatus for separating internal filter components from an outer casing of a filter of the type commonly used on internal combustion engines.
Filters of the type which are commonly used on internal combustion engines for filtering oil and fuel, are frequently disposed of despite having components of material which may be recycled, due to the difficulty of separating the internal filtering components from the outer casing of the filters. Filters are thus commonly crushed to drain excess fluid therefrom before disposal as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,334 to Aluotto et al. While crushing permits leftover fluids in the filter to be reclaimed, the metallic components are typically not permitted to be recycled.
Other arrangements for recycling filters include cutters or shredders for separating the components of the filter to be recycled separately. U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,830 to Rozycki provides an example of a cutter for an oil filter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,136 to McCarty et al provides a system for shredding oil filters and subsequently separating the metallic shredded components. In each of these operations complex mechanisms are required which require considerable maintenance while resulting in a time consuming process for separating the components of the oil filters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,460 to Ruth provides a method and apparatus for separating a metallic lid secured to a metallic container in which a punch is used which extends through the container. The particular configuration of the device however is clearly not intended for use with fuel or oil filters as inadequate support is provided to the containers when removing the lid with a punch as would be required for removing the internal filtering components of an oil filter, for example. Ruth teaches securing the containers by gripping the side walls thereof, however when considering the forces required to remove the internal components of an internal combustion engine type filter through one end thereof, the side walls of the filter would buckle when gripped before the internal components of the filter broke through the open end of the filter.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for separating components of a filter having an outer cylindrical casing component including an open end in communication with an internal filtering component and a capped end, the apparatus comprising:
a rigid ram rod having a penetrating end which is movable in an axial direction of the ram rod;
a filter holder having an opening extending therethrough in the axial direction of the ram rod in alignment with the ram rod and a peripheral support about the opening for supporting the cylindrical casing component of a filter thereon with the open end in alignment with the opening; and
an actuator for displacing the ram rod in the axial direction of the ram rod between a loading position in which the ram rod is spaced in the axial direction from the filter holder with the penetrating end facing the peripheral support and a punching position extending through the opening in the filter holder beyond the peripheral support;
whereby the penetrating end of the ram rod penetrates the capped end of a filter supported on the filter holder to push the internal filtering component through the open end of the cylindrical casing component as the ram rod is displaced from the loading position to the punching position.
The filter holder provides a peripheral support for supporting the cylindrical casing of a filter thereon in alignment with an opening in the holder so that a ram rod may be used to punch out the internal components of the filter in a quick single operation which requires minimal moving parts and thus minimal maintenance. Orienting the peripheral support to face the penetrating end of the ram rod provides a surface upon which the cylindrical casing may be stably supported during the punching operation without concern of the sides of the filter buckling due to the forces required to push the internal filtering components out through the open end of the filter casing.
The holder may comprise a collar substantially concentrically aligned with the ram rod. The peripheral support in this instance preferably comprises a shoulder formed in an inner surface of the collar which extends at least partway about a circumference of the collar. The shoulder preferably spans radially less than 2 centimeters from the inner surface of the collar.
The peripheral support may extend about a full circumference of the opening or may extend intermittently about the circumference in alternate embodiments.
When the ram rod and holder are supported on a frame, the holder is preferably selectively separable from the frame for replacement with holders having differing dimensions.
The penetrating end of the ram rod preferably include a pointed projection and a gripping surface which projects radially outwardly from a base of the pointed projection. Ideally, the base of the pointed projection is smaller in diameter than an internal diameter of a threaded mount of the filter at the open end thereof, while the gripping surface at the penetrating end of the ram rod has a larger diameter than an internal diameter of a threaded mount of the filter at the open end thereof.
There may be provided a plurality of ram rods in alignment with respective holders, the ram rods being movable together between respective loading and punching positions by the actuator.
In one embodiment, the ram rod is supported in an upright orientation above the holder and there is provided a receptacle below the holder for receiving the internal filtering component of a filter therein.
In further embodiments, the ram rod extends generally horizontally, in which instance there may be provided a loading mechanism above the holder for loading filters into the holder. A pusher may also be provided, supported for movement in the axial direction in alignment with the opening in the holder opposite the ram rod.
There may be provided a rod stripper including an aperture therein for receiving the ram rod therethrough, the ram rod being movable relative to the rod stripper between the loading and punching positions.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of separating components of a filter, the method comprising:
providing a filter including an outer cylindrical casing component having an open end in communication with an internal filtering component and a capped end;
providing a holder having an opening extending therethrough and a peripheral support about the opening;
supporting the cylindrical casing component of the filter on the peripheral support of the holder with the open end in alignment with the opening;
providing a rigid ram rod having a penetrating end which is movable in an axial direction of the ram rod in alignment with the opening extending through the holder;
penetrating the penetrating end of the ram rod through the capped end of the filter by displacing the ram rod in the axial direction between a loading position in which the ram rod is spaced in the axial direction from the holder and a punching position extending through the opening in the holder beyond the peripheral support of the holder until the internal filtering component of the filter is pushed through the open end of the cylindrical casing component.
When there is provided a plurality of holders having different size openings therein corresponding to different size filters, the method preferably includes selecting a holder having an opening which is closest to a size of the filter to be separated.
When the holder comprises a collar in which the peripheral support comprises a shoulder extending at least partway about an inner surface of the collar, the inner surface of the collar preferably has a diameter within two centimetres of the outer diameter of the outer casing component.